Since I Know You're All on the Edge of Your Seats

We found another place to hold the reception, and in the grand tradition of "door closes, window opens", it's actually a better fit for us. And I owe it all to Craigslist.

I've been watching for wedding dresses on Craigslist, and I saw one that I really liked, so I emailed the girl and we set a time for me to come and see it. I mentioned in the course of the conversation that we were looking for a new place to have our reception and she promptly suggested that we try the place she had planned to have her own reception before she and her fiancee decided that they'd rather elope. She sent me a link to their website, and I was very happy with what I saw. It's in a park in the north of Our Fair City, and the prices are definitely right. I called right away to make an appointment to see the place.

A week ago Sunday, Ash and I drove out to the park through the snow and ice. We waited and waited, walking all the way around the building and peering in the windows, growing more and more impatient, incredulous, and angry with each minute that ticked past our appointment time. We liked what we could see through the windows quite a lot-- it's kind of a faux lodge with a fireplace and hardwood floors and a shiny wood bar. But more than half an hour past the appointment time, with numb feet and hands, we were not feeling particularly... inclined to engage their services. As we walked back to the car, we noticed a poster advertising an upcoming Monte Carlo Night with a phone number for their office on it and promptly dialed it from Ash's cell phone, not really expecting to reach anyone (seeing as we were actually there and could see that no one was in the office). We were grimly delighted to find that the Event Coordinator's voicemail also gave us her cell phone. Ash left a message on the office voicemail and I called the cell number, leaving a polite but somewhat acid message along the lines of "We're here... we've been waiting more than half an hour... wondering where you are."

That Monday, the missing woman called me back and apologized profusely. I guess her excuse was pretty good: one of the other idiot drivers in this city went through a red light and t-boned her car on her way to the park. She, luckily, was unhurt. I must say, I felt really guilty about the voicemail message. I told her that and apologized when I met her in person a few nights later. She was very gracious, laughed and said that it was nothing less than she would have left herself and a good deal nicer than a lot of messages she gets for far lesser "offenses". Anyway, after meeting with her and getting the contract and such to look over, we were very happy and decided to book with them.

That means that the new date is September 21st-- still a Friday. Much like other locations we've called, this one is booked for Saturdays well into the next calendar year. In fact, this was the last Friday date available from September through the end of 2007. A handful of spring and summer dates were still available, but that was too soon to get everything done without killing ourselves. So, it's a September wedding for us!

Next on the list, I'll be meeting with a photographer soon, and Ash and I are going to a tasting at one of the caterers used by the site. The girl whose dress I wanted to buy gave them a rave review when we stopped by this past weekend to try on the dress-- which, unfortunately didn't fit. Now that we've got the hall and the church locked in, I feel much better about this, much less stressed over the planning. I'm actually starting to look forward to it a little! It's turning into bit of a game: find the things that will make it a nice wedding that will reflect our values and personalities for the least amount of money possible. Can we hold a traditional wedding for 100 people with the major trappings for less than $12,000? I do believe we can.